Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-03

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The given bar graph illustrates the information about the expediture that how families spent their weekly income in a country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the key factor of the graph was spent money on the food in 1968 which was the largest ratio among all expenditures, while fuel and power wa the lowest pproportion, accounted for almost 5%.

To begin with, largest ratio of the money were spent on food by families in 1968, which was 35% but in 2018 this faction was declined which remained almost 15%. However, on housing almost 20% money was spent in 2018, while in 1968 this ratio was accounted for 10%. Fuel and power had the lowest proportion of spending money among all expenses, this fraction was slightly down in 2018 with 5% and in 1968 accounted for up to 5%. On clothing and footwear 10% ratio was spent in 1968 by fmilies of their weekly income but in 2018 this ratio was decreased with 5%. Household goods had no difference in both year, which was almost 9%. For personal goods almost 5% money was spent in 2018 by the families, while in 1968 this fraction was 9%. In 1968 on leisure activities and transport, families spent same proportion with slightly diference of their income accounted for almost 10% while in 2018, liesure activities has up to 20% ratio of the income, while on trasportation almost 15% money was spent by the families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all major parts of the task by selecting and reporting the key features of weekly spending in both 1968 and 2018. An overview is provided, highlighting the main trend of food decreasing and other areas changing, which meets the criteria for selecting salient features. However, some ideas are under-developed or imprecise; for instance, stating that household goods had 'no difference in both year, which was almost 9%' overlooks minor variations, and some of the data comparisons lack extension. The response clearly sits above the lower band because it addresses all categories shown on the chart, but it lacks the fully extended support and precise comparative overview required for a higher band. The information is generally accurate according to the visual data provided, with only minor approximations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, utilizing a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and a detailed body paragraph. Ideas are generally grouped logically by category, moving systematically through the various spending areas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in the heavy reliance on repetitive transition phrases like 'to begin with' and the somewhat clumped structure of the second body paragraph, which contains too many distinct data points crammed into a single block of text. Referencing and paragraphing are adequate for a coherent flow, but referencing can occasionally be slightly unclear, such as the ambiguous connection between clauses. To reach higher bands, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and break down the body information into clearer, more digestible paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'faction' (used instead of fraction), and 'transportation'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the response, such as 'expediture', 'wa' for was, 'pproporion', 'faction' for fraction, 'fmilies', 'diference', 'liesure', and 'trasportation'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score. The student attempts to use appropriate topic-specific vocabulary related to financial data and categories, but limited control over word forms and spelling prevents the writing from achieving a more precise and flexible lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at relative clauses and comparative structures, such as 'which was the largest ratio among all expenditures' and 'while in 1968 this ratio was accounted for 10%'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including awkward passive constructions ('this ratio was accounted for 10%'), missing articles, subject-verb agreement issues, and punctuation lapses. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication entirely. The variety of sentence structures is somewhat limited, and complex structures frequently contain minor flaws. To improve, the writer needs to enhance control over grammatical patterns, ensure correct prepositions with percentages, and eliminate recurring structural awkwardness.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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